This month in celebration of Endometriosis Awareness, we're partnering with the talented Jessica of This Endo Life to bring you healthy, delicious recipes that our endo and period pain-friendly.
This pumpkin pie smoothie is a really energising way to start the day and is a great alternative to high sugar smoothies. It’s also a good smoothie to go for in your luteal phase, the phase just before your period. The cauliflower supports your body to clear out excess and old oestrogen, whilst the squash can ease PMS and cravings thanks to the B-vitamins and natural sugars, as well as helping to stabilise mood.
If you’re low on energy and want to spend as little time preparing as possible, buy pre-chopped squash and make sure your veggies are steamed and frozen ahead of time. I try to always have frozen cauliflower, squash and sweet potato in the freezer, so I can easily make a smoothie most mornings.
Serves 1-2
Ingredients
¾-1 cup frozen squash or pumpkin
1-3 small cauliflower florets (feel free to omit if you really can’t get down with cauli in your smoothie or build up from 1 to 3 in order to adjust to the taste)
300ml/1¼ cups nut milk (sub for water if you prefer)
200ml/¾ cup water
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Topping: A few crushed pecans
Method
Chop, steam and freeze the squash in advance. Allow the veg to cool before freezing, otherwise you get very icy veg that sticks together! You still may need to leave the veg out of the freezer for five minutes to make it easier to separate before using.
Add all the ingredients, apart from the crushed pecans, into the blender and blitz. Add more water/milk if it’s too thick.
Pour into a glass and top with a sprinkle of pecans – don’t skip this step! Chewing the pecans will begin the digestion process in your mouth and let your stomach know that food is coming. Remember, gut health is essential for managing endo!
If you’d like to learn more about managing and reducing your endometriosis symptoms, or would like support with making changes to do so, you can book in a free consultation call with Jessica to discuss your symptoms and challenges, and find out how her one-on-one endometriosis health coaching programme could help you. Jessica is currently offering £300 off her regular programme price in honour of Endometriosis Awareness Month, as well as single two-hour one off sessions throughout March. Head to her site to book in.
Jessica Duffin is a women’s health coach specialised in endometriosis. She is the founder of blog and podcast This EndoLife, and is a writer at Endometriosis Net and Endometriosis News.